MEN IN THE AIR.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14392, 6 January 1911, Page 5

MEN IN THE AIR.

AN AMEMCAN "MEET." Ton years ne;o (g»J'«> * «tfi*r in tfc» "Wmlus Wont"), AK«sr«*J> K-"? 1 * vvns trying to Uxmiin- ii.uiiWir *«.» .;ucu wonia n» chsiuUVir, thi.u»:s, an« -iiiuno. I'.vum, mnvnti, "J»l hangar aro being m.-iawi-ud l>y tlio publio toil. iy. The automobile now »urvos tuo Iju'roly uliluuriuu service of conveying pwililo to tiio ll.vini; moot*. By llunuamU they ran out of New 10MC Ui tlio iwwiil liitovmiiiouiil Aviation. <s,iiu»t ui. JJoltiu.nt curl:. Every tand of mutant vehicle—from tho Urog, Imv, l'lvnc-h ra«ur» to little puffing steauwiurs of nix or otght years ago—curried eager pamtongers to the on*tion grounds. Tho names of l»rahftniß» Whito, Moisaut, Hoxspy, and many others were bandied about with. tb» familiarity that—at other race courses —greeted euuh nainos as Rodforn ana Barney Oldfield. Ami neither of tMjj over mow deserved the uttention. « the sporting fraternity than did tb* ; rnccra of the air. TJii! meet had been in progress several iliiys. The crowd won wnteU- , inn, a dangerous wind. Not an ■**•** tor was iu tlie air. Suddenly Hoxsey (a driver of a, Wright machine), moved by the facetious remarks of Ins fellow* driver, Johnstono, ran his biplane Out on the grounds, jumped into it, and started into the air. The noise of hj»,, motor brought Johnstone out in pursuit. They rose with the noses of their machines ploughing into the heavy headwind.. As they shot up from tb* ground and its full force struck them, they began to lose distance. With this motors going full blast, they gradually drifted hack farther and further. Up the engine foroed the planes anil backward tlie wind foroed them until the biplanes were lost to sight in tb* thickening olouds. Hoxey and John- :'|, stone were dubbed "The Star-Dust Twins" by the New York "Sua, Mi well they earned the title. 1 AQAINST A OALB.

Homey went into ftow York assl dined at the Waldorf, when* Mr WObar Wright characteristically told kiss that there «u no nooessity for taktng Bitch risks—While «U N«w >Vork ul - half the country discussed the flight. Johnstone in the meanwhile hod lsnoV ed farther down the -island, h*vi&fc been blown back nearly forty miles m two hours against the utmost •*. doavours of his engine, which in osl» weather can drive the machine About forty miles an hoar. liong Island is "■ about twenty miles wide at Belmont Park, hut Hoxsey and Johnstone had , no trouble in seoing the Atlantio on one side of them and the Sound on, the. other, while on their enforced- retreat down the island, for they went more .than a mile and a half up in the sir. These performances of the Wright machines against a gale so impressed the foreign aviators that some of thetn came to Wilbur Wright to see about buying Wright machines for their own use. On ths lest day, Johnstone climbed out of sight into a otondles* sky and broke the world 1 * record tor nn aeroplane. He" rose 9.714 feet above Belmont Park. ... FOREIGNERS FOR SPEED. In speed, however, tie foreign moboglanes carried off the honours, l irahama-White, tlie English aviator (who is reported to have made nearly 100,000 dollars during hj» first sixty days in this country), won for-England the international trophy which Ourth* ' ' brought from Rhslms last'year. His time was lhr. lmin, 04.?45e0. for. 02.1 miles, or a little better than sixty - miles an hour. He was.also • very close (if not a particularly chserfui) loser in the race'from Belmont Park nround the Statu* of Liberty and back.

That race mu perhaps the high excitement-point of the amt, GraJbame. AVhite had won the international fc-opky for England. In speed the French and English fliers ■Mtttetl invincible. Hamilton's 110 bow*-pawer >■* machine was out of order. Moisant had broken his Bloriot, and the Wright "baby" racer was smashed. Besides,' the Wrights and Ourtiss refuse to fly on Sunday. It seemed that America was to he unrepresented. The Count' Do Lessens for France and GrahameWhite for England started • for the Statue of Liberty. The Fttanohman started first, but the machine which grew out of the'horieon first ofr its , w.ay back to the watching thousands at Bolmont Park was Grahame-White's He hod gone 85 minutes and -21.8 seconds, and ho had gone, approximately 36 miles. He had won the Statu© of Liberty race and not an American had even tried to defend itl ,

Over among the hangars, one Tote Young (Charles K. Hamilton's representative) rushed uo to Moisant: MOISANT THE HERO.

"' Grahame-White's l made wonderful time," ho shouted. "Did you know it.r Hamilton's out. Ho can't get his ma chino working. Can't you get a machine ?"

A minute later Moisant'a brother was offering a 10,000 cheek to an utterly aston:shed French aviator (Lo Illnnc),' and Moisant's helpers were pushing Lb Blanc's 50-horse-powor Blonot out on I, the field. In a machine in which ha had never before sat, and with but half tho horse-power of tho Englishman, Moisant left the field. Tile attempt showed a fine spirit, and the crowd would have wished him well even if he had not been America's Inst hope. But when, on his return-trip, he appeared in tho sky and the- watches showed that ho was practically on Grahame-AVhifco's time, tho ten thousand went wild. Ho came toward the finish line on the down-grade with the wind behind him and all his power on, crossing the lino 34 minutes and 38.84 seconds after he started—almost a. minnto bettor than Graliame-White. While tho band played American' airs, the crowd loosed its .pent-up onthusiasm. Moisant was the hero of the day. IMPROVED RECORDS.

i Better records of almost every kind than existed before were made at tho meet, and this is to bo chiefly credited to tho skill and daring of the aviator*, nie Wright machines stall liold their own for stability and general relioJ""ty in roiitth weather. In practice tho Wright "baby" racer gavo promise of great speed, but tho unfortunate accident which disabled it prevented ™ 'J!, 16 ' 1 ""' 1 ; of tire promise in a race. the, Curtiss machinos did not particnlarly distinguish thomaolres, and Hamilton s 110-horso-powor machine was not in working order to do itsoU justice. In tho races tho foreign monoplanes made the best speed. Their design was much tho same as lost year for the foreigners have devoted more of their energy to improvements in thoir engines than in the design of their planes. But, when nil discussion ?i i 1?! 08 if OTO f' '* nlust •>« admitted ihnt tho struggle was chiefly a strue E lo between men-jot betweeS machines. As Mr James H. OobrelL tlta Patent Office expert, mid: ™* '" J* 1- cent, of tno snooesa of evey fl.ght is due to the .SSSne 15 cent, to tie man. Tfc« mm. «rf Hsio,,, weak nerves, oT.kTf&SS as a defective motor." F